Planning to spend some time on a new game? Check out the best games that Appstore has to offer.
The pandemic has been tough on all of us. We could never have imagined such a period in our life. Everything came to a halt. We have nowhere to go, just stuck in our homes. Gaming has always been a welcome distraction from all the troubles. Not just limited to pandemic but overall as well.
The competition among the gaming companies means we keep getting quality games. Lately again, due to pandemic, there have been so many games that have been produced that it is difficult to keep note of. Of course, not every game is a hit.
So we scouted some games that have been among the best this year. There may be games that are a year or two older but got recognition due to spurts(in play) during the pandemic. The games that will be discussed are both paid and free versions.
Top 8 iPad Games to Play in 2023
Let’s take a look at the games that have received much fanfare lately:
1. Among Us
Price: Free
Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/among-us/id1351168404
Let us start with the BIG one. Probably the most famous game of the year. Among us isn’t the newest game on the market, it was released in 2018. It started gaining popularity during the pandemic when online streamers played it on Twitch and YouTube.
Among Us is a multi-player game that can be played between 4 to 10 players. The game is divided into 3 maps, namely i) A Spaceship = “The Skeld” ii) A Headquarters building = “MIRA HQ” iii) A Planet = “Polus”. There is also a fourth map that is under development by the makers and should be released soon.
How to Play?
You begin the game as one of the crewmates. All crewmates are given tasks to complete around the map. Impostors are assigned among the crewmates but are not revealed. They are also given fake tasks.
The main aim of the impostors in the game is to sabotage the maintenance work of the crewmates without getting caught or identified. The impostors can also group up and kill their crewmates to sabotage the map. The crewmate’s task is to complete the maintenance work or kill/catch the impostors to win the game.
There are various surveillance systems within the maps to help the crewmates identify the impostors. There are also visual tasks in the game which cannot be faked by the impostors.
In every game’s lobby, you can customize the map according to your group’s liking. You can customize player movement speed, the allowed number of emergency meetings, number of tasks.
2. Device 6
Price: $3.99
Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/device-6/id680366065
Coming from last year’s PCMAG.COM’s editor choice game of the year winner Year Walk, Simogo released Device 6. A top-notch, attention-grabbing game. Device 6 is an adventure game. The game uses text, images, and sounds to guide the player through a set of puzzles.
The environment in Device 6 is thrilling. The ambient is eerie, the sound of the sea or the foot-steps, the gravel crunches or the tape-player playing the clue. It all feels like you are in a thriller movie. The atmosphere in the game is gripping, to say the least.
The puzzles in the game are challenging. Some are pretty tough but once you get into the game then it really just flows. If you like to challenge yourself then this is the game for you. It doesn’t hold any value if you want to re-play the whole game as the puzzles are similar when you repeat the game.
How to Play?
The game will begin with you as Anna, the protagonist, waking up in a castle that is unknown to her. The only memory she has is of an unpleasant doll. You progress through the castle while solving the puzzles and mazes.
The protagonist will meet lots of strange people or creatures which are electrically controlled and are non-responsive.
Device 6 mainly uses the text format in gameplay. The text will turn and twist according to the player’s movement within the game. It will adapt the movement of the player.
The player uses buttons to interact with the in-game elements shown in black-and-white pictures like machines to get hints or to solve a puzzle.
3. Gone Home
Price: $5
Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gone-home/id1377366192
Going along with the exploration theme, Gone Home is a first-person game. Gone Home follows the story of a young girl(Katie) who is stranded in her home with her family disappeared. It is a spine-tingling game with various things to be explored within the game.
The game allows you to explore all the possibilities as a playing character. You will feel helpless with each passing moment if you don’t find any evidence or trace about the girl’s family.
The plot of the game revolves around Katie’s family members, her father, her mother, and her sister. As you move deeper into the game and open up the areas in the house you uncover the truth about Katie’s family and their eventual reasons for disappearance from the house.
How to Play?
There is not a set goal defined in the game. You start playing the game as Katie and explore the whole house which is deserted. As you open more spaces or areas in the house the more you uncover the truth about the family.
Much of the interaction within the game depends upon looking at the objects and notes in the house. You have to find certain objects in the house to unlock other areas in the house.
By unlocking areas and notes, you will discover the dark past of Katie’s father, her sister Samantha’s relationship, and her mother’s trauma. Keep unlocking objects upon discovery to uncover all the truth.
4. Minecraft
Price: $7
Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/minecraft/id479516143
Arguably one of the most famous games on the platform. Developed by Microsoft, Minecraft is their bread and butter of games. Almost every iPad owner will have this game on their device.
Minecraft is a super interactive sandbox game that can be played as a multiplayer or single-player. Its advanced and comprehensive gameplay teaches teamwork and on top of that, it improves your creative skills and math.
The game has different modes such as survival, creativity, adventure, spectator, and multiplayer, so you have flexibility in how you play. Minecraft is one of the best-selling games of all time. It is also one of the highest-rated games of all time.
On a side note, the game is so popular that it even spawned a documentary and a feature film is in the works.
How to Play?
In Minecraft, you explore a blocky, procedurally-generated 3D world. There are no set goals within the game as such. As stated above you will have various modes in the game to select and as you select the mode the game will progress accordingly.
You get infinite terrain in the game, discover all the terrains and extract raw materials from it. Build structures or earthwork, craft tools, and items. Possibilities are endless in the game.
If you are playing a survival mode, players must acquire resources to build the world and maintain health. In a creative mode, players have unlimited resources. Build your dynasty with it or craft anything you like.
There are no ends to your creativity in this mode. While in Hardcore mode, you face permanent death upon getting eliminated. You can then go into the spectator mode and spectate or completely delete the stage and start over.
Multiplayer mode is probably the best mode in the game. You get to interact and communicate with other players in this mode. You can create your own servers and invite players. Player versus Player combat (PvP) can be enabled to allow fighting between players.
5. Beyond a Steel Sky
Price: Apple Arcade Subscription $5/Month
Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/beyond-a-steel-sky/id1474849377
Beyond a steel sky is a cyberpunk science fiction adventure game set in a futuristic world. The game is a sequel to the 1994 release Beneath a Steel Sky. It is set 10 years after the first game.
There are comic book-styled box texts in the game and it focuses on the 3D Celshaded graphics. The story of the game is set in a far-future Earth and in a City called Union City. The world that this story is based on is destroyed by nuclear war and disasters.
Beyond a Steel Sky is an ambitious return by Revolution Software. The game does look quite stunning. The graphics and gameplay are pretty good. The character and the story ark are also crisp.
The Apple Arcade Subscription removes all the unnecessary advertisements mid-game and gives you an ad-free experience throughout the game. It is a nice luxury to have.
How to Play?
Beyond a Steel Sky focuses on the character Robert Foster, as he returns to Union City after being exiled previously to hunt for a kidnapped child. The world he resided in previously as a child has completely changed.
As a character, you have to experience different methods within the game to progress and complete the game. You will have to trade things and hunt to make it through the game. In the game, the people who come from outside the City are called Gaplanders.
You interact within the City premises with various characters and move forward in the storyline. The comic book style theme of the game gives it an extra edge while playing.
Dave Gibbons of the Watchmen fame has done a tremendous job in inciting the comic them into a whole open-world game. If you are a sucker for a traditional game then this game might be to your liking.
6. Gris
Price: $5
Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gris/id1445379072
We just HAD to include this game. Different people have different opinions but for us, it is one of the best games to come out. Gris is a game that deals with the issue of traumatic experiences beautifully. The game is packed with superb visuals, beautiful colors, and excellent backdrops.
Gris uses the colors, music, costumes, light in such a significant manner. You will feel all the emotion that the girl, Gris(playable character) feels within the game. A game that is visually stunning, with rock solid gaming mechanics and a soundtrack that is absolutely moving.
Devoid of any microtransactions or loot boxes, Gris is a gripping tale. An absolute masterpiece by developer Nomada Studio. We really can’t sell the game enough. It is a game that you have to experience yourself at least once.
How to Play?
You start the game as Gris who wakes up in the palm of a crumbled statue. You drop down to the Earth from the palm and then make your way through the world by collecting different types of lights which will open up your abilities.
You reach a potential four-way point where you can go either of the four ways and collect enough items to unlock the path which will reveal secrets to all the mysteries.
Then there is a stage when you face off against a mammoth evil version of yourself and you have to get rid of it. The game-play emotes all kinds of emotions. Aesthetically it is one of the finest games to ever come out.
7. Asphalt 9: Legends
Price: Free
Link: https://apps.apple.com/ph/app/asphalt-9-legends/id805603214
One for the racing community. Asphalt 9 is a racing game developed by Gameloft. It is the 9th installment of the Asphalt series and probably the best as well. The graphics are significantly improved from its predecessor.
The game can be downloaded free of cost but there are in-game purchases that can be made. Visually the game is stunning and it delivers where it matters the most. The tracks, events, and race modes are absolutely fantastic.
A wide range of cars is something the people yearn for and Asphalt 9 delivers on that ground too with its wide range of cars within the game.
The songs and overall music of the game are bang on as well. The aesthetic of the game is something that the developers have given a real thought to.
The layout is very clean and you don’t get ads after every 5 minutes which is highly appreciated. The return of the techrules AT96 after the 6th edition is a welcome sight.
How to Play?
You start with a basic D-level car in the game. As you win more and more races or finish in a higher points bracket, you get overall points for it. You can unlock cars, events, or tracks with those points.
As far as a racing game goes, this is a very easy game to play. You just win, win, win and you reach your target ultimately. You unlock some absolutely beautiful cars ranging from a Bugatti Chiron to a Mercedes-AMG GTS.
The game features several race tracks set in new locations: Cairo, Giza pyramid complex, the Himalayas, the U.S Midwest, Scotland, and the Caribbean. It also brings back five locations from previous games in the series: San Francisco, Rome, NYC, Shanghai, Osaka, and Nevada.
8. Animal Crossing
Price: Free
Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/animal-crossing-pocket-camp/id1179915619
An absolute hoot of a game. We wanted to finish the list off with a light game. Animal crossing a free-to-play social simulation game. The social simulations allow players to interact with other campers, perform various tasks, engaging in commercial trade, and decorating respective living spaces.
You get three different events within the game and they keep recurring as tournaments and they are Fishing tournaments, Garden events, and Scavenging hunts.
How to Play?
You start the game with a customized avatar. You also customize the living space by trading materials with other players for decorative items. The player makes a campsite in the Pocket-camp.
You have to then gather wood and cotton from the surrounding areas and build your campsite.
You can wander around in your neighboring area and find fellow campers there. Trade materials with them or just visit them. Your character can also befriend the animals in your surroundings and allow them to visit your campsite.
A truly immersive and interactive game. It’s an open world for your creative mind.
Conclusion
We have given a pretty vast genre of games to ponder upon. From free of cost to up to $10 games. There are action, racing, and puzzles in the games mentioned above. The choice of the game depends upon your style.
Our recommendation would be Gris. A game like that doesn’t come out too often. It touches your soul and the ambiance of the game is next level. The gameplay and sound are magical. An absolute must-try. On the other hand, if you’re into communication, lying and very much fun – you should definitely give it a try to Among Us. It’s just a hilarious game, especially if you involve your friends.
The list isn’t exhaustive as there are still some really good games out there. But be advised that the games mentioned above stand out from the rest.
Let us know which is your favorite game on your tablet in the comments below.
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